BMW Z1: which version to buy
If you are choosing a BMW Z1, the data set contains one generation and one version. There is no second engine, no automatic, no restyle, and no later body to trade against. The car you are comparing is the 2.5 MT Roadster, sold from 1988-06-01 to 1991-06-30.
If you are choosing a BMW Z1, the data set contains one generation and one version. There is no second engine, no automatic, no restyle, and no later body to trade against. The car you are comparing is the 2.5 MT Roadster, sold from 1988-06-01 to 1991-06-30. The rest of this page is what those numbers buy you: power per litre, kilograms per horsepower, fuel range from the tank, payload, and which popular “which Z1” questions the catalogue cannot answer because they were not measured.
Generations: what changed (and what did not)
BMW Z1 has 1 generation. That generation is a Roadster with 1 modification. Production of both the generation and the 2.5 MT runs the same window: 1988-06-01 to 1991-06-30.
A 1989, 1990, or 1991 BMW Z1 in this catalogue is not a different spec sheet. Year in the search box does not split horsepower, gearbox, or drive. If a listing is a Z1 from this model line, the version name to match is 2.5 MT.
There is no second generation to pick for more power, a different body, or a later gearbox. A Z1 vs Z8 comparison is outside this model: Z8 is not in these figures.
Specs of the only version: 2.5 MT
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement, cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 MT | 170 | 222 | 2494 | 92 | 6 | Inline | No | Manual | RWD |
2.5 MT is Gasoline, 125 kW at 5800 rpm, 222 Nm at 4300 rpm, 6 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, Front, longitudinal, Distributed injection (multi-point), compression 8.5, bore and stroke 84 × 75, fuel 92. Gearbox is Manual, 5 speeds. Drive is RWD. Boost is No.
Engine size in the data is 2494 cm³. Engine code is not measured. Engine-bay layout beyond Front, longitudinal is not measured. An engine swap, including a V10 swap, is not a factory version here and has no figures in this catalogue.
BMW Z1 horsepower, weight, and what the ratio means
2.5 MT makes 170 hp from 2494 cm³.
- Power per litre: 170 / 2.494 ≈ 68.2 hp/L.
- Torque per litre: 222 / 2.494 ≈ 89.0 Nm/L.
- Kerb weight of 2.5 MT is 1250 kg. Kilograms per horsepower: 1250 / 170 ≈ 7.35 kg/hp.
- Horsepower per tonne (kerb): 170 / 1.250 = 136 hp/t.
- Gross weight is 1460 kg. Kilograms per horsepower at gross: 1460 / 170 ≈ 8.59 kg/hp.
- Payload from the two masses: 1460 − 1250 = 210 kg.
There is no heavier or lighter Z1 version in the data to buy instead. If you want this model, 1250 kg kerb and 170 hp are the pair you get.
Peak power is at 5800 rpm; peak torque is at 4300 rpm. The gap is 1500 rpm. Compression 8.5 is the figure given; it is not compared to another Z1 tune because no other tune is listed.
Performance: 0–100, top speed
For 2.5 MT:
- 0–100: 7.9 s
- Top speed: 225 km/h
No second Z1 version exists to be quicker or slower. A buyer choosing “the fast one” and a buyer choosing “the only one” are looking at the same 7.9 s and 225 km/h.
MPG and tank: city, highway, mixed
Fuel figures for 2.5 MT (as given, not converted to US mpg in the source):
- City: 12.9
- Highway: 6.8
- Mixed: 9.4
- Tank: 55 L
Highway use is 12.9 − 6.8 = 6.1 below the city figure. Mixed sits 2.6 above highway and 3.5 below city (9.4 − 6.8 and 12.9 − 9.4).
Range from 55 L if you treat the three rates as L/100 km:
- City: 55 / 12.9 × 100 ≈ 426 km
- Mixed: 55 / 9.4 × 100 ≈ 585 km
- Highway: 55 / 6.8 × 100 ≈ 809 km
CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. There is no greener Z1 version in the catalogue.
Dimensions, kerb weight, wheels, clearance
- Kerb weight (2.5 MT): 1250 kg
- Gross weight: 1460 kg
- Tank: 55 L
- Ground clearance: not measured
- Wheel sizes: not measured
- Body length, width, height: not measured
Front suspension: Independent, spring. Rear suspension: Independent, spring. Front brakes: Ventilated disc. Rear brakes: Disc.
If a listing hangs on tyre size or ride height, this data set does not give a factory number to check. Size and dimensions searches for BMW Z1 are not answered by millimetres here.
Doors, sliding doors, and other search questions this sheet does not settle
Body type is Roadster. Door count, sliding-door travel, and “doors explained” mechanics are not measured. How many BMW Z1 were made, how many are left, price, and what a Z1 is worth are not measured. USA-market vs other-market splits are not measured.
Which version to choose
There is nothing to split:
1. Generation: only 1 generation, Roadster, 1988-06-01–1991-06-30. A 1990 BMW Z1 and a 1991 BMW Z1 are not different generations in this catalogue. 2. Version name: only 2.5 MT. Match that string. There is no second 2.5 MT with another horsepower figure. 3. Powertrain: Gasoline 2494 cm³, 6 Inline, Boost No, Manual 5, RWD. You cannot buy a Z1 automatic, a boosted Z1, or a non-RWD Z1 from these rows. 4. What the numbers buy: 170 hp, 222 Nm, 7.9 s to 100, 225 km/h, 1250 kg kerb, 210 kg between kerb and gross, mixed 9.4 with a 55 L tank.
If the car on a listing is not 2.5 MT as named here, it is not a factory version from this model’s data. If it is 2.5 MT, the buy decision is condition and completeness of that one spec, not a choice between catalogue variants.